The weather is getting colder, and in a blink of an eye it’s the season when the laurel trees are fragrant and the crabs are plump.
Jingxi winds its way, embracing Xiyin Village.
A small courtyard more than a hundred steps away from the stream was covered with dead leaves a month ago and looked dilapidated, but now it has been cleaned spotlessly and looks brand new.
In the small courtyard, it was as lively as going to a market at this time. The villagers and elders of Xiyin Village gathered together, full of enthusiasm and laughter.
After waiting for about half a stick of incense, someone shouted at the top of their lungs: "Master Xiu Cai is back!"
In an instant, everyone looked outside the hospital, their eyes full of curiosity and expectation.
Two mule carts were parked at the entrance of the courtyard. Zhang Ming and Wei Ruyi helped each other get out of the mule carts, stood in front of the carts with their heads held high, and greeted the villagers with a smile.
Zhang Xu jumped off the mule cart and turned back to Wei Chen with excitement: "Brother Chen, look, everyone is here to see you. You are the second scholar in our village!"
Wei Chen touched Zhang Xu's little head and got out of the car.
When the villagers saw Wei Chen, who was wearing a t-shirt, they cheered and surrounded him. While shouting "Brother Chen, Brother Chen, Brother Chen" asked the woman to go home and bring all the delicious food from home. They were so affectionate and affectionate.
Wei Chen can't bear it anymore.
"Folks, don't be busy, I've already prepared."
Zhang Ming smiled and waved behind him, and immediately four guys in brown clothes came up, each pushing a small cart.
Everyone came closer to take a look.
Ouch!
Twenty pairs of chicken with distiller's grains, forty pounds of herring, forty pounds of soy beef, twenty pounds of pig meat, twenty pounds of sheep groceries, and loads of side dishes and snacks!
When the villagers saw this scene, they secretly marveled in their hearts. The shabby settlement of Zhang Ming in those days is really different from what it used to be!
Wei Ruyi asked people to borrow a dozen square tables from the neighbors' houses, and arranged them in a row in the yard. He also set up two tables for women and children in the house, and the tables were filled with fine wine and delicacies.
Seeing so many delicacies that only appeared in dreams, the children immediately forgot their naughtiness and stood aside honestly, staring at the plump chicken on the table. There were sounds of swallowing, but no one dared to start.
Food.
Outside the house, the adults took wine from the large wine vat with ladles, poured the amber-colored liquid into white porcelain bowls, and exclaimed: "This is wine!"
"That's right! I heard that this wine was brewed by the Zhang family. It is sold at a premium, and the dignitaries in Jiangning are all rushing to get it!"
"Really? You'll have to taste it later!"
In the distance, several large boilers were set up, and the fire was raging. The hot oil in the frying pan made a crackling sound, and the master's face was illuminated brightly.
The waiters on the side helped bring the dishes to the table, including taro and duck soup, braised pig's trotters, squirrel mandarin fish, stir-fried shrimps... The table was full of solid hard vegetables, and the young and old men had their mouths full of oil.
After eating and drinking for a while, Zhang Ming pulled Wei Chen up from the stool with a red face: "Come on, brother Chen, come with me to toast."
Wei Chen asked: "Who are you toasting to?"
Zhang Ming whispered: "He is the elder of the Wei family."
Wei Chen nodded, then stood up, picked up the wine glass, and came to a table with Zhang Ming.
Zhang Ming introduced Wei Chen: "This is your third uncle, who is also the leader of the Wei clan in Xiyin Village. This is your fifth uncle. This is..."
After Wei Chen recognized the person, he immediately followed the rules and saluted and toasted to the respected elderly people in the village.
The elders of the Wei clan also stood up, their eyes full of smiles, and they repeatedly praised Wei Chen for having his father's style, for being young and promising, and for having a bright future.
Below, Wei Chen toasted table after table. Although the drinks were not full, no one came out to find fault. The villagers drank the wine personally toasted by the scholar, and their faces were all smiling brightly.
The next day, there was a grand ceremony at the Wei Family Ancestral Hall.
With the joint efforts of everyone, a plaque for scholars was hung on the lintel of the ancestral hall.
The solemn ceremonial music was played, and with a crash, the brocade covering the plaque was lifted, revealing the word "Wei Chen" engraved on it.
Not far from the edge, there is a long-hanging scholar plaque, engraved with the name of Wei Chen's father, Wei Mingzhao.
The moment the plaque was unveiled, firecrackers went off outside the ancestral hall. The whole clan, young and old, were beaming with joy and congratulated Wei Chen one after another.
At this moment, Wei Chen saw tears of joy rolling down the faces of Zhang Ming and Wei Ruyi, and he understood in his heart that winning the scholarship was actually not just his fault.
The old patriarch of the Wei clan stepped forward with a cane and presented a lion's head paperweight to Wei Chen: "Brother Chen, among the hundreds of people in our Xiyin Wei clan, there has never been any decent person since your father Ming Zhao.
, I hope you will succeed in the provincial examination and help our Wei family to honor our ancestors!"
"Thank you, Third Uncle."
Wei Chen took the heavy paperweight from the old patriarch's hand and felt quite emotional in his heart.
A year ago, he was just a young boy in the eyes of the villagers, but now, he is the leader of hundreds of Wei family members in Xiyin Village.
This is an honor, but it also comes with an unshirkable responsibility...
After finishing the ancestral ceremony, Zhang Ming and Wei Ruyi led Wei Chen to the east end of Xiyin Village.
It was September at this time, and the rice in the fields had not been harvested yet. It was golden and very pleasing to the eye.
Zhang Ming was high-spirited and pointed forward: "This is the twenty acres of paddy field I just bought. It's in your name, Brother Chen. What do you think?"
Wei Ruyi added from the side: "Brother Chen, you are a student and can be exempted from two shi of food. These twenty acres of land can just use up your allowance, no more, no less."
Zhang Ming squatted on the ground, grabbed a handful of soil, and his eyes were full of nostalgia: "This is a good field that my third uncle helped us cultivate. The villagers just reclaimed it together. It is leaning against the stream, and we can draw water from the stream at any time."
Water."
Now Zhang Ming has no worries about food and clothing thanks to his job in the winery, but he still thinks about things in the fields. If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't leave the winery, Zhang Ming would really rather go back to the countryside and continue farming.<
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The feelings of people in this era towards land are difficult for future generations to understand. Money is not as good as land. This is a universal value.
Therefore, Wei Chen did not blame the couple for taking the initiative to buy land in their own names, as long as their aunt and uncle were happy.
"It's just..."
Wei Chen looked at the 20 acres of fertile land in front of him and wondered: "Aunt, uncle, our family is living in the city now, what should we do with this land? We can't leave it uncultivated, right?"
"Don't worry." Wei Ruyi smiled sweetly: "I have already discussed it with my second uncle and handed over the land to three families in the village for renting. We don't have to worry about it."
Wei Chen shook his head and laughed dumbly.
Come on, I have been promoted to the landlord class.